Cybersecurity and AI policy expert weighs in on Pope Leo XIV’s first encyclical
When Pope Leo XIV released his first encyclical — a sweeping call for robust regulation of artificial intelligence and for its developers to serve the common good rather than profit — the Post-Tribune, a Chicago Tribune publication, sought expert perspective from Isak Nti Asare, assistant dean for undergraduate education and student affairs and co-director of the Cybersecurity and Global Policy Program at the Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies.
The May 27 article, “Area Catholic leaders, experts praise Pope Leo’s AI encyclical,” explores responses to “Magnifica Humanitas” (“Magnificent Humanity”), in which the pope urges AI developers and the political leaders who regulate them to slow down, reflect, and place human dignity above profit and power.
Nti Asare told the Post-Tribune that the encyclical was “right on” in its assessment of how AI is changing the way people interact with each other, think about one another, and access information.
“What it means to be human, what it means to be a moral actor, all of those things are being challenged and questioned,” he said, adding that it is fitting for spiritual leaders to help society navigate questions that are ultimately human ones.
AI development has much to learn from theology and spiritual leaders, Nti Asare noted, because theology has spent centuries asking questions that technical fields rarely consider — about humanity, dignity, and freedom.
“AI is not just a technical tool,” he said. “It’s becoming a part of how institutions decide, teach, hire, police, persuade, diagnose, govern and ultimately distribute opportunity.”
Nti Asare’s work and research sit at the intersection of emerging technologies and policy. He has advised national and local governments on the opportunities and challenges of digital transformation and artificial intelligence, co-authoring the first city-led AI strategy in the United States and Mexico’s national AI strategy. He also directs the IU Cybersecurity Clinic, which partners with municipalities, nonprofits, and small businesses to strengthen digital resilience.
For Hamilton Lugar students, Nti Asare’s engagement in national conversations like this one connects classroom learning to questions society is confronting in real time. Through the Cybersecurity and Global Policy Program — a joint degree with the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering ranked among the top 25 undergraduate cybersecurity programs in the country — students examine the same issues the encyclical raises: how communities can govern powerful technologies while protecting privacy, dignity, and opportunity. His media presence reflects the Hamilton Lugar School’s mission of preparing students to lead on the world’s most pressing challenges with both technical skill and ethical grounding.
Read the full article from the Chicago Tribune, visit Isak Nti Asare’s faculty profile, or learn more about the Cybersecurity and Global Policy Program.